Ready for Life
by LadyNymph
Summary: HERE IT IS..(drum roll)...the long-awaited sequel to READY FOR LOVE! Ron and Hermione and their relationship and where it goes. Hermione wants more, but does Ron? Hermione thinks about leaving...then the unexpected! PLease REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

It was a rainy day in January, the 7th, to be exact.  Ron and Hermione were sitting at a small table at their apartment, which they had rented.  They were eating breakfast.

Ron was looking nervous, while Hermione was looking a little sad.

"Where are we going to, Ron?  I mean, we're leaving together, but what's coming next?" she asked Ron very seriously.

Ron replied without looking at her.  "Euh…I don't know…"

Hermione seemed close to tears by now, she abruptly got up from the table, threw down her napkin and stormed to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Ron wanted to fall into his plate of eggs.

Where was this going to?  Hermione seemed to want more, but Ron…Well, he didn't really know.  

Was he ready to marry her?  

Did he even want to marry her?

Hermione flung herself on her bed, crying.  She pounded her pillow in rage, biting back her scream of anger and confusion.

She and Ron had been together for a long time now…about 2 years?  But they had known each other for almost 8 years, and Hermione felt that they really connected.  But did Ron feel the same?  She didn't know.  She didn't even know where this relationship was going.  If it wasn't going anywhere, why should she still be here?  She was giving up a lot, coming here to live with Ron.  She could be out in the world, sticking all her time into her work, saving house-elves from their terrible enslavery.

But no, she was here, in a relationship which she felt wasn't going anywhere.

Did she really want this?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, here is the sequel, finally!!!  


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter.

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"..and then she storms out the room and slams the door!  I mean, do you understand what the big deal is?" Ron asked his best friend Harry.  Ginny was also sitting with them, listening to Ron's rambling.

Harry looked at Ginny, who was staring at Ron.

"Ron, I think the message is obvious." Ginny said in an exasperating tone.

Ron looked a little ashamed, and said nothing.

"She wants to know, Ron.  But do you even know what you want?" asked Harry, sipping his Butterbeer.

Ron shook his head.  "I have no idea.  I mean, I love her, I know that.  But marry?  I don't know…"

"Well, I think she definitely wants to settle down.  You should think about this for a while.  And we can't help you.  We have to go back up to the castle, anyways." Said Ginny, checking her watch and standing up.

Harry checked his watch also, then stood up and put on his coat.

"I've got to go grade the papers of my 7th year class." He said, smiling.

Ginny grinned at him.  "I wonder if I did okay…"

"I'm sure you did." Was the reply.

Ron was still sitting at the table.

"Bye.  Good luck." Said Harry, clapping his shoulder.

"Bye Ron.  Think." Was all Ginny said, and she took Harry's hand and led him out of the bar.

Ron sighed, looking after them.

It was easy for them to say, they were married and had already gone on half of their honeymoon.  They were going on the other half this summer.

It seemed as though everybody was getting married these days.  Bill and Fleur were going to get married, Madame Maxime and Hagrid were getting married, even Neville had proposed to Luna.

But Hermione and him?  Nope.  

Ron sighed and ordered a Firewhisky.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione was having a hard time at work.  She couldn't concentrate, and her eyes kept filling up with tears as she glanced at the picture of her and Ron, together, waving.

"Hermione?" asked Delia Simons, poking her head through the door.  Hermione looked up.

When Delia saw her eyes filled with tears, she quickly came in, closed the door and put her arms around her friend and co-worker.

"Are you okay?  Is it Ron?  Did you break up?" she asked, embracing her.

Hermione cried for a while, then took a tissue and blew her nose.  "No, I'm not okay.  It's Ron, but we didn't break up…yet."

"What happened?" asked Delia, concerned.

"Well, you know, I've known him for almost 8 years, and I think we are ready to make another step.  Like marry or something.  But he doesn't seem to want to.  And well, if this relationship is going nowhere, I…I don't know if I _want_ to be with him any longer…" tears started welling up again.

Delia shook her head.  "Maybe he's scared to make a commitment." She said finally.

Hermione looked at her.  "But, when will he **not** be scared?"

Delia shrugged.  "Don't ask me.  I'm a woman."

Hermione gave a little smile.

"So why did you come in here?" she asked, remembering.

"Well, I have the new flyers.  I thought we could go out and give them out, but I think we still have to finish this folder, so we'll do that tomorrow." Delia answered, pointing to the folder their boss had put on Hermione's desk that morning.

Hermione nodded, suddenly becoming more businesslike.

"Okay.  I'll check the weather forecast…" she took out a little square, and looked at it.  It was the Weather Finder-Outer.  "It's going to be sunny.  Perfect."

Delia nodded.  "Now let's get starting on that folder…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~


	3. Chapter 3

When Hermione came home, there was nobody.  Not even a note.  

She wondered where Ron was, he was supposed to be home.  It wasn't Quidditch season, so he couldn't be practicing or at work.  If he'd gone somewhere, he should have left a note, Hermione thought angrily, putting down her stuff.

She took out her wand and began making dinner, slamming everything down because she was very angry and disappointed.

She set the table and put the food on the plates.  Then she cleaned up the mess she had made, dropping almost everything in her anger.

She waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Until finally she was so hungry that she ate.  She decided that Ron could eat by himself.

But Ron didn't come.  She began working on papers for the Department.

When Ron finally did come home, it was about 4 am and Hermione was sitting on her chair, with her arms crossed and a very angry expression on her face.  She had already finished her work for the next 3 days.

One sniff told her everything.  Ron was drunk.

"Hullllllllllo Hermyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" he slurred, swinging his arms.

Hermione squinted at him, looking remarkably like Mrs. Weasley.

"Ron.  You're drunk." She said in a cold voice.

Ron glanced at her, and winked.  Then he vomited on the floor.

Then he swayed to another spot and promptly fell down, and started snoring.

Hermione, pinching her nose, went over to him and started dragging him to his room.

They had separate rooms, but most of the time they slept in the same bed.

She put him on the bed, disgusted, and slammed his door behind her.  Then she forced herself to start cleaning up the vomit.

After that horrible job, she went in the shower, put on her nightdress and stumbled to her bed.  No way she was going to sleep next to Ron tonight.

She fell asleep immediately.

~~~~~~~~

Ron woke up with a terrible headache.

He sat up, wondering what had happened.

He remembered Harry and Ginny coming, then going, and then he had ordered a Firewhiskey, and then another, and then another…8 or so.

"Bloody hell." Said Ron, and he stood up.

This was the first hangover he had ever had.  No, wait, he had had one after Graduation.  Okay, it was the second hangover he had ever had.  He wasn't really much of a drinker, but this time he hadn't been able to stop himself.

He dressed and brushed his teeth, then went to the kitchen.

There was no note, no Hermione, and no breakfast or coffee waiting for me.  The only thing there was a mop and a bucket.

Ron knew at once that he had thrown up and that Hermione had been there.

He dashed to her room, still with that terrible headache.

She was sleeping peacefully, looking exhausted.  He glanced at his watch.  9 o'clock.  She had overslept.

Suddenly a bird chirped rather loudly outside and Hermione woke with a start.

"Whaaaat?" she yawned, then she glanced at her bedside table alarm clock.

"Oh no!  I overslept!" she said frantically, scrambling out of bed, ignoring Ron.

She quickly got dressed and brushed her teeth, also putting on a little touch of make-up.

Ron, meanwhile, set the table.

When Hermione came in, the table was set and Ron was reading the newspaper.

She glared at him, then took a muffin out of the box and picked up her briefcase.

Then she went out of the door.

Ron looked after her, then dashed after her.  He caught her down the hall, about to go down the stairs.

"Hermione?  Look, I'm really sorry.  I won't ever do that again." He said.

Hermione glared at him.  "I hope not, because I can tell you, I did not have fun cleaning up your puke this morning at 4."

Ron flushed.  "I'm really sorry.  Can I do anything to make it up to you?"

"You know what I want, Ron.  Don't pretend you don't." Hermione answered.

"I could buy you a nice necklace…" 

Hermione stared disbelievingly at him, wrenched her arm out of his grip and practically ran down the stairs.

"Damn you, Ronald Weasley." Ron heard her saying in a tear-choked voice as she rushed past him.

~~~~~~~~~~

"He said he'd buy you a necklace?" repeated Delia disbelievingly, passing a flyer to a passerby.

"Yes." Answered Hermione, smiling at another passerby while giving the person a flyer.

"That bastard, that fu…"

"Delia!  We're working here!" hissed Hermione, smiling again at the people around her.

Delia rolled her eyes.  "Fine, we'll talk about it at lunch."

Hermione nodded and passed out another flyer. 

Then she started to give another flyer to another person, when a man came up to her.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"Yes?" asked Hermione, turning around.

The man looked strangely familiar, but Hermione did not know where she would have seen him before. He was handsome, and was smiling his white-toothed smile at her.

"I would like to know some more information about this." Explained the man, showing her the flyer she had given to him earlier.

"Yes.  Of course." Said Hermione.  

"Euh…You want to come over to my house?  I live here nearby, we could have lunch and discuss these poor house-elves and your plans.  I'm very interested." Said the man, still smiling at her.

Hermione hesitated for a moment.  Lavender's words suddenly came back to her.  

Rubbish, she thought to herself, and she answered the man.

"Yes, that would be okay.  Let me tell my co-worker here."

She went to Delia.

"I'm going with that man to explain some of our plans.  He says he's interested." She said.

Delia eyed him suspiciously.  "Interested in you or our plans?" she asked.

"In our plans, Delia.  Why would he be interested in me?  Come on."

Delia rolled her eyes, one of her habits, but nodded.  "Okay.  But if something is wrong, don't forget our Communicating bracelets."

Hermione nodded and smiled at her.  "See you."

And with that she followed the man.

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	4. Chapter 4

Hey, sorry guys, that it took so long!  But I was grounded!  

~~~~~

"Come in, Ms. Granger." Said the stranger.

Hermione smiled and stepped into his house.  "What is your name, I don't think you've told me."

The stranger didn't answer, but led her to a living room, holding the door open for her.

Hermione didn't know if it was on purpose, or by accident, that he was covering half of the doorway.  With her slim figure, she slipped past him.

Hermione sat down and looked around.  It was kind of gloomy, depressed-looking.

"So what was your name?" she asked again.

The stranger ignored her, and suddenly about 4 people in cloaks appeared around him.  Then, quickly, the stranger waved his wand.  Nothing happened, but the stranger smiled wickedly.

Hermione was getting scared now, she reached into her pocket, but her wand wasn't there.

The stranger had it in his hand, and was twirling it around.

"My name is Blaise Zabini." He said, as his companions tied her up.

~~~~~~~~~

"…And you are further convicted of kidnapping Mrs. Ginny Potter, and threatening to rape her.  Do you have anything to say?" asked Fudge rather lazily.

Malfoy spat, and shook his head.

"then…all who find him guilty, raise your hands!"

The Wizengamot raised their hands simultaneously.

"Okay, I see you are found guilty.  Your sentence is…death."

~~~~~~~~~

Ron felt horrible.  Of course he had known what she had wanted.  But what was he supposed to say?  "Okay Hermione, let's get married.  Is that a good enough to make up for getting drunk and puking on the floor?"

What should he do?  He thought about really buying a necklace, but he knew she wouldn't appreciate that.  

He flopped down on a chair in the kitchen and sat there, staring at a cookbook.

A cookbook…

~~~~~~~~~~~


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you want with me?" asked Hermione, trying to be brave, but the fear evident in her voice.

"We'll just have a little fun with you, Mudblood." Smirked one of the Death Eaters.

"Nott?" Hermione asked.

The dark figure said nothing, but let out a snort.

"I take it that is a yes." Said Hermione, some of her courage returning.  If she could just reach that bracelet…

"What is she doing?" asked Zabini to a Death Eater standing behind her.  He had noticed she had begun twisting around in her chair.

"She's trying to touch some bracelet of hers…" the Death Eaters replied.

Zabini's eyes narrowed and he went to look.  Hermione quickly stopped moving and tried to look innocent.  "My hand was itching." She said.

"A likely story.  This is a magic bracelet, a communication device, if I'm not mistaken.  Take it off." Sneered Zabini.

Hermione felt her stomach clench.  They had taken her only hope of getting out of here.

They untied her hands for a moment to take the bracelet off, in fear that if they might break it, it would activate or warn the other person something was wrong.

Zabini walked past her.

And suddenly she was untied, and standing up with her wand in her hand.

"How….?" Said Zabini, when a Stunning Spell flew at him.  With almost supernatural speed he avoided it, and the spell hit the Death Eater behind him.

"You shouldn't leave wands in your pockets, just for grabbing." Smiled Hermione, feeling safe once again.

"You stupid Mudblood.  You're outnumbered." Smirked Zabini, raising his wand and sending a Cruciatus Curse at her, which she deflected with a Shield Charm, deflecting another curse which had come from the Death Eaters behind her.

She suddenly snatched the bracelet and activated it.

"Delia!  Help me!  Death Eaters, house somewhere near the main road!…They've got me!  Hel…"

"That's enough Mudblood." Said Zabini, striking her with the Stunning Spell.


End file.
